Fangtastic Mr Fox: Crazed animal terrorises eight people

A "vicious" urban fox went on a rampage in Cambridgeshire on 27 June, terrorising eight people during a three-hour-long assault and holding them hostage inside a sports club.

The fox stalked its victims as they were preparing to leave Alconbury Sports and Social Club, Cambridgeshire, the BBC reported.

When they exited the building into the car park they were attacked by the animal, which bit a woman who had tried to ply it with food in a failed attempt to create a distraction allowing others to escape.

Another man who tried to outfox the creature was chased him into a field as he attempted to escape on his bicycle, where he fell off his vehicle and lost his glasses.

"He had to fend the fox off with his bicycle," club chairman Bruce Staines told the BBC.

Staines also fell prey to the fangtastic fox after he was chased around the car park, later telling the BBC he had "never seen anything like it".

After Staines and others fled back to the safety of the sports club, the fox followed them to the building, racing to attack anyone who attempted to escape.

"None of us could get out. When we tried to use a side door, the fox heard and came haring round there," Staines told the BBC.

Outfoxed

Panicked club members were forced to barricade themselves inside the building, where they watched the animal stalking them via CCTV.

Help arrived on the scene, but the fox even "went for" local pest controller Graeme Brown, chasing him back to his car when he attempted to subdue the beast.

"The fox started circling my car as soon as I arrived," he told the BBC, adding that he had "never come across such a forward and aggressive fox as this one."

Brown tried to startle the fox by shouting, stamping on the ground and waving his arms, but was "forced to beat a retreat" when the animal stuck to its guns and refused to budge.

Sadly for the fox, it was eventually caught and destroyed.

"People who don't know about these animals should not approach them and never feed them. You're asking to be bitten," Brown said. "Leaving this fox was not an option. I have no doubt about that."

"It was active in the area of a play park and I would not be prepared to put children at risk."